Rumors of Deaths Greatly Exaggerated

'I've got a report of 200 bodies in the Dome,' Beron recalls the doctor saying.

The real total was six, Beron said.

Good thing the media took the time to evaluate the claims before reporting to a horrified public, huh? Here's a good summary of what you read in the news:

"I think 99 percent of it is bullshit," said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Lachney, who played a key role in security and humanitarian work inside the Dome.

Let's check in with NOPD's chief of police, the Mayor of New Orleans, and the general populace for how they helped curb the spin:

Police, according to their chief, Eddie Compass, found themselves in multiple shootouts inside both shelters, and were forced to race toward muzzle flashes through the dark to disarm the criminals; snipers supposedly fired at doctors and soldiers from downtown high-rises.

In interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Compass reported rapes of "babies," and Mayor Ray Nagin spoke of "hundreds of armed gang members" killing and raping people inside the Dome. Unidentified evacuees told of children stepping over so many bodies, "we couldn't count."

Nagin told Winfrey the crowd has descended to an "almost animalistic state."

Any bets on whether or not the mayor gets re-elected? Sad thing is, I bet he will.